WHAT'S NEWS

The Senate "is on a path toward defeating tea party attempts to dismantle" the '10 health care law, "despite an overnight talkathon on the chamber's floor led by" Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Cruz and his allies have spoken for more than 18 hours, "the fifth longest Senate speech since precise record-keeping began in 1900" (AP).

In a speech before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Pres. Obama "laid down a retooled blueprint for America's role in the strife-torn Middle East, declaring that the United States would use all of its levers of power, including military force, to defend its interests, even as it accepted limits on its ability to influence events in Syria, Iran and other countries" (New York Times).

Obama will appear at a DCCC fundraiser at the home of ex-U.S. Amb. to Spain Alan Solomont in Weston, MA, next month (Boston Globe)

In Boston Mayor '13, state Rep. Marty Walsh (D) and Councilor John Connolly "emerged Tuesday atop a crowded field" to qualify for the 11/5 general election (Boston Globe).

A new Quinnipiac Univ. poll of NJ GOV '13 LVs, conducted 9/19-22, shows Gov. Chris Christie (R) leading state Sen. Barbara Buono (D), 64-30% (release). Christie "is out with another television ad," his second in the last two days, "this one aimed at touting his support for mandatory drug treatment of nonviolent offenders" (Newark Star-Ledger).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

According to a new Bloomberg News poll of nat'l adults, conducted 9/20-23 by Selzer & Co., 45% approve of the job Obama is doing as POTUS, while 49% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 5/31-6/3, 49% approved of Obama, and 46% disapproved (release).

According to a new Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll of VA RVs, conducted 9/19-22, 49% approve of the way VA Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) is handling his job, while 39% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 4/29-5/2, 64% approved of McDonnell, and 27% disapproved (release).

According to a new WRC-TV/NBC News/Marist poll of VA RVs, conducted 9/17-19, 55% approve of the job McDonnell is doing, while 33% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 4/28-5/2, 61% approved of McDonnell, and 24% disapproved (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day

• Outside of Congress, the next big battle between the GOP establishment and the tea party will be taking place in the AL-01 special election runoff between Bradley Byrne and Dean Young, who finished second in last night's primary, running as the tea party candidate. Young ran 12 points behind Byrne in the primary, and barely raised money on his own, but he may get support from outside conservative groups (Sharron Angle's PAC already chipped in). If Young pulls off the upset, he'll be a card-carrying member of the Ted Cruz caucus.

• An underplayed takeaway from Cruz's all-night "filibuster": It bumped Bill Clinton's (second) defense of Obama's health care law from the headlines. That's the second time Clinton has seen his advocacy for Obamacare overtaken by breaking news; his first speech got overshadowed by the Syria debate.

• Speaking of Syria: Remember just a few short weeks ago, when battleground members' positions on Syria looked poised to play a role in the '14 elections? Next up on the list of potentially transient, potentially consequential policy moves is how members and candidates are positioning themselves on funding the government. If the government doesn't shut down, few people will remember that candidates like CO GOPers Ken Buck and Owen Hill supported a strategy that risked it. But if Congress overshoots its Oct. 1 funding deadline, all bets are off. Recent polling shows Americans would blame both sides about equally if the government shut its doors right now, but as the last shutdown demonstrated, it's hard to predict how the politics of these volatile situations will play out.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

Overnight, "Cruz's hours of oratory ... touched a broad mix of subjects and sources, including lyrics from a song by country music star Toby Keith; excerpts from the book 'Atlas Shrugged,' a favorite of libertarians; quotations from the popular reality television show 'Duck Dynasty;' the unemployment rate among African American teenagers; how his father, Rafael Cruz, used to make green eggs and ham for breakfast; a recent acceptance speech by actor Ashton Kutcher at an awards show; and the restaurants Denny's, Benihana and White Castle" (Washington Post).

At a DNC fundraiser in NYC Tuesday night, Obama called NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio (D) "the 'next mayor of New York,'" then noted the presence of de Blasio's son, "'Dante, who has the same hairdo I had in 1978. Although I have to confess my Afro was never that good'" (New York Daily News).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

Steve Lombardozzi's father won a World Series with the Twins.

The winner is Geoff Burgan, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Who did Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) invoke by name on his last vote in the Senate on December 24, 2009?" The 1st correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.